There are many reasons why I decided to try Flatiron. My love of technology and computers has been something I noticed in myself from a very young age. Being born in ’93 I have seen crazy improvements to computers and the internet ever since I was little.
I went to high school that was focused on graphics art and computers. This is where I got my first real taste for what computers could do and what I could do with the right knowledge. When I graduated high school I went straight into my first year of college. Thinking that this was the right path, the one that everyone said was the best way to go. So that’s what I did. I enrolled in school and studied computer engineering. I knew that I loved computers and I knew that computer engineering was something that I would love and would want to make a career out of. Little did I know that, that did not mean I was necessarily ready for college. I struggled through a year of college. It wasn’t that I couldn’t do the work but I got caught up in all the different things there are to do on a college campus. I did not prioritize my time properly. And I ended up failing out of school the first time around.
I felt that I was a little lost, wasn’t sure what my next step was. So I just started working full time, and trying to get myself on track. I was working retail jobs where the pay was manageable but the hours were horrible and the benefits were non existent. Working jobs like these for a few years really made me wonder what my other options were. Once I started to get everything back on track is when I reenrolled in school. This time around was a whole different story. I was not studying computer engineering but I was more mature and focused. It took me a little less than 2 years to reach my AA degree. At this point I felt accomplished but not necessarily happy with where I was or with what I was studying. I felt that I was half way through the process of getting a degree for something that I didn’t love. When I realized that I wasn’t entirely happy with where I was headed, that was the kick start to make me start looking into my other options. I found myself looking up computer engineering courses and programs. Not only my love for computers drove me to search for these types of programs, but also the possibilities that came with jobs in this field, benefits, better pay, possibly working remotely. And this is when I found flatiron. In my searches so many different bootcamps kept popping up and it was hard to determine what was real and what was fake. But the reviews and testimonials that I read for Flatiron made it much easier to make a decision.
Flatiron seemed like such a fantastic option. I would get to go back to something that I knew I loved, but in a way better head space than the first time I attempted it. It almost seemed like a no brainer to apply once I found Flatiron. I applied to a few schools before applying to flatiron so I can get accustom to the admissions process before applying to the school I wanted to go to. After being accepted to several schools, I was invited to one of the fast track weekends. I went and I immediately knew I was on the right path. The path to something I would enjoy as a career for the next 30 plus years of my life. Unfortunately, just a week or two before I was supposed to start my cohort, I had some serious health issues. That made me unfortunately delay my start at Flatiron. But during the 3 months of waiting to start and getting my health back on track only amplified my passion and drive for computer engineering. Now that I have actually begun my journey here at Flatiron, I have never felt more confident that this is the career choice for me. The things that I have learned thus far, I have so many ideas on how to combine them with other interests and apps that I can potentially make. I am excited to be a part of this industry, and just the sheer number of options that you have once you know how to code.